By Marie Horrigan, CQ Staff

Former Arizona state Senate President Ken Bennett is facing increasing pressure from Arizona Republicans to enter the race for the state’s 1st Congressional District, a contest he originally ruled out in September.

Republicans have been actively recruiting a moderate candidate to join conservative activist Sydney Hay, currently the only Republican in the race. Arizona Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes announced Thursday she decided against running, which Bennett said has increased the pressure on him to get into the race.

With Republican Rep. Rick Renzi retiring at the end of the term, the race for the 1st District is one of the most-watched contests of the 2008 election cycle. Democrats argue Republicans efforts to hold onto the battleground district will be hampered by controversy surrounding Renzi, who was indicted in February on 35 counts of extortion, money laundering and conspiracy.

CQ Politics rates the race No Clear Favorite, the most competitive category.

On Friday, CQ Politics asked Bennett if he was been disinclined to run. He responded: “If I had to admit where I was leaning a couple of days ago I think you probably had that right, but I am trying to remain open to all the possibilities and now with this development I’m kind of starting over almost.”

And on Monday, Bennett told CQ Politics that he was meeting with the board of GeoBio Energy, which named him chief executive officer in March, to discuss a possible bid.

“Their input and agreement, if forthcoming, will be important in making this decision,” he said.

Mayes launched an in-depth exploratory campaign in February as Republicans searched for an alternative to conservative Hay.

But in a statement Thursday, Mayes said she decided to remain with the Arizona Corporation Commission, which is the equivalent to other states’ Public Utility Commissions. “At the end of the day, I had to decide that where I can best serve the people of the state that I love and have the most impact on public policy and right now, that is on the Commission,” she said.

And Bennett appears a reluctant candidate. Bennett said a week ago that the factors that led him to decide against running back in September remained largely the same. “I have always felt very strongly about wanting to help fix things in our government that you do at a federal level or the state level, which was what kind of drove me into politics in the first place . . . but the main decision point will be if this is right for my family right now,” he said.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee alleged last week that both Mayes and Bennett were “deeply flawed candidates with ethics issues.”

“Both potential candidates have yet to answer important questions about how they and their family benefitted from their positions in the [state] Senate and Corporation Commission,” the DCCC said in a memo.

Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, would not comment specifically on the candidates but said that Republicans expected to hold the seat.